Articles

After 13 years of ULP regime economic incompetence, SVG is in a desperate state and seemingly heading towards economic collapse. The ULP regime seems to be putting tourists first and focusing on airport, airport, airport, when in reality our people need jobs, jobs, jobs.

Visionary Green Party Leader, Mr Ivan O'Neal, believes that SVG must urgently become part of the green world and start up a green jobs training program, as this would give Vincentians the skills needed to get highly paid jobs in green industries in SVG and abroad. A green jobs training program would empower our people and give them valuable skills and a lifetime ability to earn money.

In the USA, many traditional factories have found new markets by manufacturing parts for wind turbines, solar panels and other environmental industries. It has become more profitable switching over to green manufacturing. The USA green manufacturing sector could create 1 million jobs directly and another 2.5 million indirect jobs in related industries.

The US government has indicated that it wants to retrofit 10 million homes every year until 2020, because most buildings are not close to being energy efficient and waste heat and energy through poor design. The building retrofitting industry could employ as many as 1.25 million people directly and about 6 million indirectly.

According to UK Guardian newspaper, the number of people working in the global renewable energy industry alone grew by 14% to 6.5 million in 2013.

There are many jobs worldwide in the Green industry, yet the ULP regime lacks the vision to train our people to do these jobs. A Green government will set up a green jobs training program to give our people the skills and an internationally recognised qualification, so they can work in the solar, wind, hydro and other green industries.

With the skills learned and qualification gained, people will be able to get work in SVG and all over the world. Many green jobs abroad have salaries in excess of EC$ 80,000 a year.

For example, completing a solar PV (photovoltaic) training course would enable a person to become a solar panel installer and enter an exciting, growing market. The training program would teach the skills needed to install solar PV panels and also the skills to install domestic electrics, meaning the person would have two ways to generate an income, by doing PV or electrical installation jobs.

With a green jobs training program, people would be able to set up their own business and earn money independently. There is a huge potential for green jobs in SVG, but the incompetent ULP regime seem happy to let our people suffer in poverty and unemployment. A Green government will create hundreds of new green jobs to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of Vincentians.

To boost the SVG economy, a Green government will phase out oil-produced electricity and replace it with electricity from renewable energy. This will create green jobs and give our people prosperity.

The multinational professional services firm Ernst &amp; Young's Cleantech Industry Performance Report investigated 424 companies that derive more than half of their total value from clean energy. It says that these companies employed over half a million people by April 2013 and had a combined market capitalisation of $170 billion (£109 billion) up by 18% from the previous financial year.

There is money to be made in green industries; there are jobs available in green industries. Vincentian people need to be trained so that they can get these green jobs and get a share of the billions of dollars being made in green industries. SVG needs a Green government for this to succeed.